PowerGab

Xcel recently shut off power for thousands of customers. Why did they do this and how could it have been avoided? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: Shutdown Wildfire matters review committee bill that wasn’t approved. https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/bill_5_26-0104.02.pdf It prohibits punitive damages if certain conditions are...

The Public Utilities Commission has a new proposed rule that would have them focusing less on energy and more on social justice. What changes would that bring? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: Independence Institute Comments https://www.aoenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/I2I-PUC-comments-Dec-2025.pdf PUC DEI Rulemaking https://www.aoenergy.org/wp-c...

Democratic lawmakers are pulling back on their aggressive renewables legislation after seeing the cost and feasibility. However, Colorado seems to be going in a different direction. PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: NYT Matt Yglesias op-ed “Liberals should support America’s oil and gas industry.” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/opinion/democrats-liber...

Data center panic is back in Colorado. Can Colorado make the power needs of data centers attractive enough to actually commit to moving and staying here? Is there a simple solution? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: https://coloradosun.com/2025/12/10/data-center-power-demands-colorado-xcel-tri-state/ https://www.advocates4cre.org/

The Sierra Club has commissioned a study about the Ray Nixon Power Plant in Colorado Springs that concludes renewables are less expensive, but is the study accurate? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke dive in and find out. Show Notes: https://bigpivots.com/does-delaying-nixon-retirement-make-sense/ https://www.sierraclub.org/colorado/colorado-springs-utility https://coloradosun.com/2025/12...

The Public Utilities Commission plans to phase out natural gas use for home heating to meet emissions goals, but is this realistic and how would it be possible? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: Decision on keeping Comanche 2 open https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIfpLJrh4DA https://puc.colorado.gov/press-release/fact-sheet-comanche-power-plant-unit-2-ret...

Energy Co-Ops may list a variety of places that they get their power from, but how does that work and what arrives to the customers? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: https://coloradosun.com/2025/11/20/colorado-coal-power-comanche-extension/ https://bigpivots.com/bryan-hannegan-the-bigger-leagues/ https://coloradosun.com/2025/11/17/united-power-electrici...

What happens to renewables at the end of their useful life and who is responsible for getting ride of them? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this topic with Executive Director of the Council to Modernize Governance Curtis Schube. Show Notes: Who Pays When Wind Turbines and Solar Panels Wear Out? A Hidden Energy Liability https://energyanalytics.org/hidden-energy-liability/

Colorado's planned replacement of coal power plants with renewables leaves a shortfall in energy, but an increase in costs to ratepayers to make that switch. PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this with Independence Institute intern and Master's Student Ethan Cornell. Show Notes: Xcel, PUC staff, CEO, and UCA petition to delay Comanche 2 retirement until December 31, 2026, htt...

Will Colorado's plan on how to reform the Public Utilities Commission fairly represent Coloradans? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: PUC Sunset Review:  https://coprrr.colorado.gov/sites/coprrr/files/documents/2025SunsetPublicUtilitiesCommission.pdf Comanche 3 shutdown:  https://coloradosun.com/2025/10/29/colorado-comanche-3-power-plant-issues-...

Growing opposition to new renewables infrastructure has raised some concern with their transparency. PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: Site survey:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vzyKJvaFjljacKHg-Okm9x7Jnvz_YWyD/view?pli=1 Mitch and Isaac - declining value of wind and solar. https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2025/10/23/the_more_wind_and_s...

One of the lawyers behind Boulder's climate lawsuit admits the plan is to make your energy more expensive. PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: PUC commissioners meeting  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWe0AL0bdUQ Black Hills survey https://www.blackhillsenergy.com/fuel-future/colorado-perspectives-electrification Boulder’s climate lawsuit is a backdo...

Advances in nuclear energy over the years have lead to a new popularity with states once again adopting it. But will Colorado be able to get over its storied past with nuclear? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: https://daily.gazette.com/article/281479282621643 https://www.denverpost.com/2025/10/13/colorado-nuclear-power-energy/

Colorado's forced electrification mandates are heating up... but are the new performance standards just a fancy way of saying it's a natural gas ban? And will it save or cost money, and to who? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/articles/2025/10/colo-officials-ask-court-to-toss-fresh-challenge-...

In a continuing saga, Xcel Energy has asked the court to throw out public hearings so they can take land from residents in Elbert and surrounding counties. PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this, along with the Trump administration opening up public land in Colorado for oil and gas development. Show Notes:   https://coloradosun.com/2025/10/02/xcel-energy-power-pathways-elbert...

A new study shows that Colorado's future energy plan is going to be unreliable, inadequate, and expensive. PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: Hydrogen study:  https://i2i.org/colorados-green-hydrogen-boondoggle/ Colorado Energy Compact:  https://mailchi.mp/0f77622fbb40/colorado-energy-compact-release?fbclid=IwY2xjawNCeoVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFm...

What are the so-called stakeholders at the public utility commission saying about the Polis' Administration's plan to force electrification through rule making? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: https://i2i.org/independence-institute-tells-the-public-utilities-commission-to-reconsider-forced-electrification-rulemaking/ https://www.supremecourt.gov/Docket...

XCel's attempt to shutdown one of its power plants has Pueblo residents up in arms. Why? For charging them to build a power plant and then trash it. PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/no-just-transition-pueblo-county-asks-trump-to-keep-comanche-plants-open-indefinitely/ar-AA1LPc36 https://coloradosun.com/2025/...

Is Colorado running out of water? Is it a natural issue or is there bad policy to blame? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this with national conservation policy leader Greg Walcher. Show Notes: https://gregwalcher.com https://i2i.org/where-life-is-written-in-water/ https://completecolorado.com/2025/08/04/everybody-knows-fix-for-colorado-river/ https://completecolorado.com/2025/07...

Expiring renewables subsidies have put the Colorado PUC into a frenzy to try and qualify and spend for new infrastructure. But will this hastiness work out, or are there additional considerations that will affect rate payers? PowerGab hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: https://coloradosun.com/2025/08/18/colorado-xcel-data-center-demand-spending/ https://coloradosu...

Colorado regulators' push to electrification has a cost, and it exceeds the 2.5% raise in rates... by a HUGE amount. PowerGab hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss what this will entail, how much it will likely end up costing, and if there's anything you can do to stop it. Show Notes: Colorado’s costly home heating plan Xcel Energy Clean Heat Plan  https://www.aoenergy.org/wp-content/uplo...

Does the EPA have the authority over one of Colorado's most reliable coal power plants, and whether or not it stays open? PowerGab hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: OBBB https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/regulation/the-big-beautiful-bill-is-a-big-win-for-american-energy/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/ending-market-distorting-sub...

Xcel Energy's upcoming energy project has transmission lines that cut across Elbert County in Colorado. However, some local residents have not agreed to let them, causing a threat of eminent domain and a court battle. PowerGab hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke talk with Elbert County Environmental Alliance member Kerry Jiblits. Show Notes: https://www.ecealliance.org https://www.denver7.com/follow...

Colorado has a long history with nuclear energy... some of it good and some of it not so good. PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke have a conversation with US Navy Nuclear Propulsion Veteran Nathan Stout about that history and how it impacts energy policy today. Show Notes: https://i2i.org/a-critical-look-at-nuclear-energy-in-colorado-overcoming-our-past-to-secure-our-future/

A declining Colorado economy is beginning to have consequences against many of its own climate goals. What's behind this and what tax credits are going away? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more. Show Notes: https://coloradosun.com/2025/06/19/colorado-green-tax-credits-cut-economic-forecast/ https://coloradosun.com/2025/06/25/colorado-clean-energy-project-cancellations/